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Blues GM won’t blame it all on the goaltending

Jaroslav Halak

St. Louis Blues goaltender Jaroslav Halak, of Slovakia, reacts after a goal by New Jersey Devils’ Eric Gelinas (not shown) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014, in Newark, N.J. The Devils won 7-1. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

AP

A sampling of tweets following the Blues’ 7-1 loss in New Jersey last night:

But despite what Doug Armstrong called “an awful game” versus the Devils -- a game in which Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott combined to stop just 16 of New Jersey’s 23 shots, causing what one columnist called “increasing unrest” in St. Louis -- the general manager wasn’t putting it all on the goaltending.

“I think we’re a strong team when we defend well and we haven’t defended as well as we need to,” Armstrong told the Post-Dispatch. “And obviously you need timely saves. I know the guys want to give us better games than we’ve gotten in the last week and I’m comfortable that they will.”

At .910, the Blues’ team save percentage ranks a middling 18th in the NHL. That bears mentioning, because it’s not often that Stanley Cups are won with middling goaltending, and winning the franchise’s first championship is a legitimate goal in 2014.

Hence, all the Ryan Miller trade speculation as the March 5 deadline looms. A pending unrestricted free agent, Miller, 33, is enjoying an excellent individual season in Buffalo, boasting a .925 save percentage in 34 starts.

Related: Hey look, another great Ryan Miller save